"Together Talks" feature #19: B'cuz snacks presented by KLS, freight company.
Some Background on Bcuz Snacks
For this edition of "Together Talks" campaign KLS had the opportunity to interview Channie Metchik, owner of B'cuz snacks. A bite away from happy™, B’Cuz snacks are more than a brand. It’s a reminder to appreciate the small things, enjoy the finer things, and lead the life you want to lead. Their snacks are made for the body, mind, and spirit using the healthiest ingredients and without compromising on flavor. Behind each of their unique five flavors, is a culture that welcomes everyone and products that support every lifestyle.
Bumpy Roads
The company began in 2019 in the home of Channie. Channie was a speech therapist along with her husband for 12 years. Both worked for the same company out of the same location. Until suddenly the company went under. Overnight. With four children and both jobless, they had to adapt in order to survive. Her husband found a job in medical sales. While Channie was home raising their children she began finding herself in the kitchen more and more frequently. It started with baking different snacks, foods, and goodies. Cookies seemed to be the most popular, but she couldn't connect with that food. She then had the idea, "what if I create something good for me, my kids, and those in my life? What is there is a better snack option waiting to be created?" That is the origin of B'cuz Snacks.
Not even two years later and the company was off the ground and running! Just like her previous career, this didn't come without adversity. Throughout our chat she kept referencing resiliency. We asked about the challenges the company has faced she answered with their resiliency, we asked about the company's greatest strength, once again resiliency, how did you survive a start-up during a global pandemic, we will give you one guess...resiliency.
"We won't fold. If we are faced with any sort of challenge, supply chain, marketing, sales, production, packaging, you name it we just pivot. Ok this didn't work, how can we improve. We are going to work until we find the solution. We will continue to move forward." Sounds pretty resilient huh? :) And it just speaks to what she believes the company is all about, putting a smile on faces.
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
The Mix
They source high-quality oats, dates, vegan marshmallows, nuts, and seeds to create their granola snack bites. All B’Cuz oat snack packs are gluten free, dairy free, plant based, non-GMO certified, and Kosher.
Their facility is SQF Level 2 Certified and they use recycled paper for box packaging. Basically, they care about what you put into your body and what they put into our environment and are committed to continuous advancement in these areas.
She also told us she didn't just want to create a product. She wanted it to be her product. Her story, her mission, her contribution to society. Just like we talked about her and the company being resilient, it is because this isn't just a job or a career, it is a passion. Channie gives everything she has to this along with her business partner Carl Clift.
We asked what the goals for the company are for 2023 and beyond. Channie told us they have seen great growth over the last six months on the sales side. They will be attending the Sweet & Snacks Expo in May in Chicago. She mentioned the company is close to releasing a new "Blueberry Lemon" flavor! Also they are working on a new granola product for later this year.
Pride
As we mentioned the company has been gaining great traction and momentum over the last half of the year. Check out the image below where they were the top featured brand courtesy of CPG Pulse the week of 2/27 to 3/5.
Channie throughout the entire conversation talked about making a difference for people, society, and the environment. We asked about charitable contributions. She mentioned that being Jewish 10% is donated personally as part of her faith. As for the company they participate in High Lifeline, which helps families with kids who have genetic diseases. Channie also participates in a biking marathon that raises money for charities.
We had to ask where she got her positive outlook and desire to provide for others, she floored us with her response. "Both of my grandmothers survived the holocaust and were beacons of happiness. One of them used to tell me 'your face isn't private property, it is public property.' It just always stuck with me to be positive, pass it on, and make a difference in anyone you come across." She told us we all have a responsibility. So just like their bags say, she tries to promote positive attitude and outlook daily in her own life. Preaching what she practices.
A bite away from happy.
When we talk to founders we always love finding their inspiration, for Channie it is creating new products. The previously mentioned new "Blueberry Lemon" flavor happened while she was having coffee with a friend who had a snack that flavor and she said that sounds delicious! We also asked her about her favorite moment so far on her journey at B'cuz and she told us that initially there were a lot of challenges with production and packaging. She had to continuously place an order through production and make sure when it came out in packaging it wasn't in pieces. This involved lots of trial and error. But as she previously told us, she was not going to be deterred. The moment the production line ran through and she saw that it held its structure without breaking, "To get to that point, the GREATEST moment." Pretty dang resilient.
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
KLS is booking our upcoming schedule now!
Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
KLS is grateful to have conversed with Channie to present this week's "Together Talks" campaign. You can buy off their Website
Also use this coupon code for 25% off from their website!!!! :)
"CHOOSEHAPPY"
You can also find B'cuz on Amazon.
And you can follow Channie on her journey via her own personal LinkedIn.
Special thanks to Channie for sharing her story and journey to create this wonderful company. Give B'cuz snacks a follow and try them out! We are pleased to present Channie and B'cuz snacks as this week's "Together Talks" feature.
Klimson Logistics Solutions - B'cuz snacks with Channie Metchik feature #19 of Together Talks
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign "Together Talks" if you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands for freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.